High speed connector with spoked mounting frame

Abstract

A high speed connector with reduced crosstalk utilizes individual connector support frames that are assembled together to form a block of connector units. Each such unit supports a column of conductive terminals in two spaced-apart columns. The columns have differential signal terminal pairs separated from each other by larger intervening ground shields that serve as ground terminals. The ground shields are arranged in alternating fashion within the pair of columns and they are closely spaced together so as to face a differential signal terminal pair. The support frames support the ground and signal terminals utilizing radial spokes in which the spokes take the form of ribs that extend along the inner surfaces of one of the connector halves and define V-shaped air channels.

1. A connector comprising:
 a plurality of connector units held within a housing, each connector unit including an insulative support frame supporting a plurality of conductive terminals in two, spaced-apart columns of terminals, the support frame including a first and second frame half, one column of said two terminal columns being supported by the first frame half and the other column of said two terminal columns being supported by the second frame half, each frame half including a first and second spoke members extending radially from a front corner of said frame and a primary spoke member extending radially from the frame front corner to a rear corner of said frame, the first and second frame half spacing said two terminal columns apart from each other, widthwise, within each of said connector units; 
 each of said terminals including tail portions for mounting to a circuit board, contact portions for mating with an opposing connector and body portions interconnecting the terminal tail and contact portions together, the terminals including distinct pairs of signal terminals and single ground shield terminals, each pair of said signal terminals being aligned edge-to-edge to form differential signal terminal pairs within their respective terminal body portions within each of said two columns, each of said differential signal terminal pairs being separated from another differential signal terminal pair within a terminal column by a single one of said ground shield terminals, said ground shield terminals being alternatingly spaced apart as between said two terminal columns such that said ground shield terminals in each of said terminal columns are spaced apart from and face a differential signal terminal pair of an opposing terminal column, each of said ground shield terminals being wider than the differential signal terminal pair within said connector unit; and, 
 wherein said terminals are attached to said first and second frame halves along said spoke members, wherein said spoke members on both the first and second frame half extend across outer surfaces of said terminals and said spoke members on said first frame half includes interior spoke portions that extend across inner surfaces of said terminals of said first frame half, said interior spoke portions spacing said terminal columns apart from each other, wherein said primary spoke members bisect said frame first and second halves and said first and second frame halves further include a pair of secondary spoke members disposed therein between said primary spoke member and each of said first and second spoke members, wherein said interior spoke portions of said first and second spoke member and said primary spoke member define two V-shaped air channels on an inner face of said first frame half. 
 
     
     
       2. The connector of  claim 1 , wherein said primary spoke members bisect said first and second frame halves. 
     
     
       3. The connector of  claim 1 , wherein said first frame half includes slots that communicate with said V-shaped air channels. 
     
     
       4. The connector of  claim 1 , wherein said primary and secondary spoke members are interconnected at one end thereof by an additional spoke member. 
     
     
       5. The connector of  claim 4 , wherein the additional spoke member extends at an angle between two adjacent sides of said support frames. 
     
     
       6. The connector of  claim 1 , wherein said spoke member extend linearly within said frame. 
     
     
       7. A connector, comprising:
 a plurality of individual connector units, each connector unit supporting a plurality of conductive terminals in two spaced-apart linear arrays of terminals, each of said connector units including a dielectric frame formed from first and second halves, each frame half including at least four distinct sides, two of the four sides being adjacent each other, one of the two sides supporting terminal tail portions of the terminals and the other of said two sides supporting terminal contact portions of said terminals, 
 each of said linear terminal arrays including a plurality of pairs of differential signal terminals arranged edge-to-edge within said arrays, and said pairs being separated by intervening ground shield terminals, the ground shield and signal terminals in said two terminal arrays such that each of said ground shield terminals in one of said two linear arrays face a differential signal terminal pair in the opposing linear array; 
 each frame half including intersecting vertical and horizontal spoke members and at least one primary spoke member that extends out from the intersection of the vertical and horizontal spoke members to divide the area between the vertical and horizontal members into two parts, each frame half further including secondary support members interposed between said primary and vertical and horizontal spoke members to define a network of load transferring support members that transfer press-in loading forces throughout said connector when said connector is mounted on a circuit board, wherein said vertical, horizontal and at least one primary spoke members include interior portions that extend along the inner surface of said second frame half, and the interior portions serve as stand-offs to space said two linear terminal arrays apart. 
 
     
     
       8. The connector of  claim 7 , wherein said spoke members extend along only the outer surfaces of said first linear array of terminals as part of said first frame half and said spoke members extend along both of the outer and inner surfaces of said second frame half. 
     
     
       9. The connector of  claim 7 , wherein said spoke members extend radially within each of said first and second frame halves.